TORVANTA
Consumer Staples · S&P 500 · data as of 2026-10-05

COST stock analysis: Costco

Costco (COST) is an S&P 500 company in Consumer Staples Merchandise Retail. It grades weakest on value.

The model's view of COST · subscribers

Where COST ranks among the 1,500 U.S. stocks the model scores each trading day, its expected return, the evidence for and against it, and whether the model portfolio holds it. The grades below describe the company's data; they are not the model's view.

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What's happening with COST · updated 2026-10-05 · from prices and SEC filings

COST price performance

COST against the S&P 500, one year
+0%+10%+20%S&P 500 +18%COST +1%2025-09-292026-10-05
Year to date+7.6%S&P 500 +14.5% · behind by 6.9 pts
1 year+1.5%S&P 500 +17.0% · behind by 15.6 pts
3 years+68.7%S&P 500 +89.3% · behind by 20.6 pts
5 years+118.3%S&P 500 +91.3% · ahead by 27.0 pts

Total returns with dividends reinvested.

COST factor grades

Each grade compares COST with the rest of its sector (A+ best, F worst); the numbers behind it are shown with the typical figure for its peers.

D-ValueP/E 46.5x (industry 15.9x)FCF yield 2.2% (industry 6.4%)
BGrowthRevenue growth +9% (industry +5%)EPS growth +13% (industry +12%)
CProfitabilityOperating margin 3.8% (industry 5.6%)ROIC 43.8% (industry 31.3%)
B-Momentum12-month change +1%From 52-wk high -15%

COST in plain numbers

COST key statistics

SectorConsumer Staples
IndustryConsumer Staples Merchandise Retail
IndexS&P 500
Market value$409.6B
Revenue growth (y/y)+9%
Free-cash-flow yield2.2%
Dividend yield0.6%
Next earnings (expected)2026-11-12
Valuation measures
Market value$409.6B
Enterprise value$396.3B
P/E (trailing)46.5x
Forward P/E (Torvanta estimate)44.6x
PEG (Torvanta estimate)10.76
Price / sales1.4x
Price / book12.2x
EV / revenue1.3x
EV / EBITDA28.7x
Financial highlights
Revenue, last 12 months$293.6B
Net income, last 12 months$8.8B
EPS, last 12 months (GAAP)$19.88
Gross margin12.9%
Operating margin3.8%
Net margin3.0%
Return on equity29.2%
Return on invested capital43.8%
Cash$18.9B
Total debt$5.7B
Debt / equity0.17x
Free cash flow, last 12 months$8.8B
Interest cover76.9x
Current ratio1.07x

Company figures from its latest SEC filings; market value and returns from end-of-day prices.

COST earnings trends

Revenue vs earnings
$0$21.5B$43.1B$64.6B$86.2BAug 2024 Revenue: $79.7BNov 2024 Revenue: $62.2BFeb 2025 Revenue: $63.7BApr 2025 Revenue: $63.2BAug 2025 Revenue: $86.2BNov 2025 Revenue: $67.3BJan 2026 Revenue: $69.6BApr 2026 Revenue: $70.5BAug 2024 Net income: $2.4BNov 2024 Net income: $1.8BFeb 2025 Net income: $1.8BApr 2025 Net income: $1.9BAug 2025 Net income: $2.6BNov 2025 Net income: $2.0BJan 2026 Net income: $2.0BApr 2026 Net income: $2.2BAug 2024Nov 2024Feb 2025Apr 2025Aug 2025Nov 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Net margin: 3.0%Net margin: 2.9%Net margin: 2.8%Net margin: 3.0%Net margin: 3.0%Net margin: 3.0%Net margin: 2.9%Net margin: 3.1%0%2%3%■ Revenue ■ Net income ━ Net margin
Earnings per share$0.0$1.5$2.9$4.4$5.9Aug 2024 EPS (GAAP, diluted): $5.3Nov 2024 EPS (GAAP, diluted): $4.0Feb 2025 EPS (GAAP, diluted): $4.0Apr 2025 EPS (GAAP, diluted): $4.3Aug 2025 EPS (GAAP, diluted): $5.9Nov 2025 EPS (GAAP, diluted): $4.5Jan 2026 EPS (GAAP, diluted): $4.6Apr 2026 EPS (GAAP, diluted): $4.9Aug 2024Nov 2024Feb 2025Apr 2025Aug 2025Nov 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026■ EPS (GAAP, diluted) Change from a year earlier: Aug 2025 +11% · Nov 2025 +11% · Jan 2026 +14% · Apr 2026 +15%

From the company's 10-Q and 10-K filings with the SEC.

Costco financials (from SEC filings)

Fiscal yearFY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025
Revenue$195.9B$227.0B$242.3B$254.5B$275.2B
Net income$5.0B$5.8B$6.3B$7.4B$8.1B
EPS (GAAP)$11.27$13.14$14.16$16.57$18.21
Free cash flow$5.4B$3.5B$6.7B$6.6B$7.8B

COST earnings history

ReportedEPS (GAAP)EPS y/yRevenue y/yStock vs S&P 500, 2 days
2026-05-28$4.93+15%+12%-5.5%
2026-03-05$4.58+14%+9%+1.0%
2025-12-11$4.50+11%+8%+2.0%
2025-09-25$5.87+11%+8%-3.2%
2025-05-29$4.28+13%+8%+2.4%
2025-03-06$4.02+3%+9%-6.7%

About Costco

HeadquartersIssaquah, WA
Industry (SEC code)Retail-Variety Stores
Fiscal year endsAugust 30
Incorporated inWA
Listed onNasdaq
FormerlyCOSTCO COMPANIES INC, PRICE/COSTCO INC

From the company's SEC registration record.

Companies similar to COST

CompanyMarket valueP/ERevenue growthOperating margin12-month change
COST Costco$409.6B46.5x+9%3.8%+1%
WMT Walmart$833.6B37.9x+6%4.4%+4%compare
TGT Target$69.5B15.9x+2%5.6%+79%compare
DG Dollar General$26.3B15.5x+5%5.6%+21%compare
DLTR Dollar Tree$21.2B13.9x-8%11.0%+26%

All Consumer Staples stock ratings

Frequently asked questions

Is COST stock a buy?

Torvanta does not tell individuals what to buy. Its grades for COST are shown above. Subscribers see the model's rank, expected return and whether the model portfolio holds it. This is research, not a recommendation.

What is COST's P/E ratio?

COST trades at about 46.5 times its last 12 months of GAAP earnings reported to the SEC, and about 44.6 times Torvanta's own estimate of the next 12 months.

When does COST report earnings next?

Based on its filing history, Torvanta expects Costco to report around 2026-11-12.

Does COST pay a dividend?

Yes. Its dividend yield is about 0.6%, and it has raised its dividend 1 years in a row.

How has COST performed against the S&P 500?

Over the past year COST returned +1.5%, against +17.0% for the S&P 500, dividends reinvested.

See the model's view

Subscribers get the model's rank and expected return for every covered company, the reasoning behind each, and the Torvanta model portfolio's trades each trading day, sized and explained, at three risk levels.

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Torvanta is research only - not investment advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Grades describe a company's reported data against its sector; they are not the model's view, change as data changes and can be wrong. Financial figures come from the company's SEC filings; returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results.

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